Table 1

BAL results from the 11 patients in whom positive cultures would have been missed (shaded results) if we had relied on results from a single lobe (RML in these 11 cases)

	RUL	RML	RLL	LUL	Lingula	LLL
1	Candida^*	Candida^*	Candida^†	Candida^†	Candida^*	SM^‡
1	AF^*	AF^*	AF^*	AF^*	AF^*	SM^‡
2	AF^*	AF^*	HI^*	HI^†	AF^*	AF^*
	PA^†	PA^†	PA^*	PA^†	PA^†	PA^†
	SA^‡	SA^‡	SA^†	SA^†	SA^‡	SA^‡
3	HI^‡	SA^*	Nil	HI^‡	HI^‡	HI^‡
				MC^†	MC^†	SP^*
				SP^*	MC^†	SP^*
4	HI^‡	SA^†	SA^*	SA^†	Nil	Nil
	SA^*	PA^†	PA^†	PA^†
	PA^†	PA^†	PA^†	PA^†
5	Nil	Nil	AF^*	AF^*	Nil	AF^*
6	SM^†	OU^*	OU^*	OU^*	OU^*	OU^*
7	SM^‡	AF^*	Nil	SP^†	AF^*	Nil
7	SM^‡	Candida^*	Nil	AF^*	AF^*	Nil
8	Nil	Nil	Nil	SA^*	SA^*	SA^*
9	SA^*	SA^†	SA^‡	SA^†	SA^†	SA^†
9	SA^*	SA^†	SA^‡	PA^*	PA^*	PA^*
10	PA^†	PA^‡	PA^†	PA^†	PA^*	PA^†
10	PA^†	PA^‡	PA^†	PA^†	HI^*	PA^†
11	SA^‡	SA^*	SA^*	SA^‡	SA^‡	SA^‡
11	SA^‡	SA^*	SA^*	SA^‡	PA^‡	SA^‡

AF, Aspergillus fumigatis; BAL, bronchoalveolar lavage; HI, Haemophilus influenzae; LLL, left lower lobe; LUL, left upper lobe; MC, Moraxella catarrhalis; OU, Oligella urolytica; PA, Pseudomonas aeruginosa; RLL, right lower lobe; RML, right middle lobe; RUL, right upper lobe; SA, Staphylococcus aureus; SM, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia; SP, Sphingomonas paucimobilis.
Patients 1–7 would have had positive cultures missed if samples from two lobes (RML and lingula in these seven cases) were used (shaded and underlined).
↵* Scanty growth;
↵† moderate growth;
↵‡ heavy growth.